By CAITLYN PRAY
Student Writer
No time of the year is perfect.The birds are singing, the sun is shining, warm weather drifts in and plans are coming together for the not-so-distant future of your well-earned break from school for the next couple of months. Summer is almost finally here!
Of course, it’s always the darkest before the dawn, and before summer hits you’re going to have to go through the same obstacle course all college students do: finals week.
Finals week can be hard, finals week can make you cry; finals week can be that week where you learn how few essentials you actually need to survive and still be a half-functioning human being. If that’s you this semester, don’t despair! This is only the darkness before the fast-approaching dawn and before you know it you’ll be dancing in the rays of summer.
In the meantime though, here are a few tips that can keep you upbeat and focused during that long, final week of college. I know you’ve all heard the same tips before: get enough sleep, eat before you cram, don’t procrastinate and always study hard, but there are other options out there. Here are a few “proven”, out-of-the-box tips for you to keep close at hand during those final days we so affectionately call dead week. Best of luck!
1. Pet a puppy
As weird as it sounds, Yale and some other high-end colleges actually do bring puppies and dogs to their campus for the purpose of students petting them to reduce stress.
While Northwestern doesn’t bring a load of dogs to its campus, there are still plenty around, and a room full of dogs and puppies is just a trip to the shelter away. Who knows? You might even bring one home!
2. Stay hydrated
This gets thrown at students a lot—especially athletes—and it’s not just in the school season. It’s always a good idea to drink lots of water and keep our bodies hydrated and alert, especially in a hard mental processing session like finals week.
Studies have shown that hydrated students do a lot better at exam scores, are more alert and have an easier time at studying than do average or dehydrated people. Time to hit the water fountains and Gatorade!
3. Study in bed
If it’s the last thing you think of at night and the first thing you see in the morning, you’re bound to remember it, right? According to a student blogger who shares her study tips, this is absolutely right!
Though it may not work for everybody, this particular student says it shaves hours off her study time when she studies the exam contents the night before and skims over it in the morning. Maybe this could be your fix too, giving you a few extra minutes to hit that snooze button!
4. Socialize
Friends who cram, sweat and pray together, stay together. Even though your finals week might be full with little minutes left to even sleep or eat, you should still try to carve out some time for your friends.
Beyond obvious reasons, the positive reactions your body gets from friendly, social interaction refreshes your body and brain and can help keep you revived and energized (even just a bit) during finals week.
Sonic runs and bowling nights are good for you, after all!
5. Play sports
For some of us, we don’t need any encouragement fulfilling this stress-buster. For others, maybe we should take this one more seriously, or at least consider the treadmill again. Physical activity is important for the human brain during finals week. Not only does the game keep your mind off your studies, the action gets your blood pumping and mind racing which is healthier for your body healthier for your GPA.